Pope resigns just as musical about boy who wants to be pope wins prestigious award

What are the chances? On the same day that Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters announced that “The Kid Who Would Be Pope,” a musical by local brothers Jack and Tom Megan, is one of two winners of the 2013 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre. (The other is “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” by Dave Malloy.) The Megans’ musical is about an 11-year-old boy’s attempts to become pope so he can marry his favorite nun. Jack Megan is director of the Office for the Arts at Harvard. The award provides financial support for productions. Composer Stephen Sondheim was the chair of this year’s jury. . . . After collecting his Pudding Pot from Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Kiefer Sutherland rode out the blizzard at Tommy Doyle’s, chatting with folks at the bar and drinking Macallan 21.